Landlord/Tenant Disputes

Landlords: Landlords and property owners have an obligation to provide safe and habitable housing for tenants.

Tenants: Tenants have an obligation to cooperate with owners and landlords and to maintain dwellings in habitable conditions.

Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD): The Health District has no jurisdictional enforcement over rental housing; however, Health District will respond to document lack of essential services such as loss of heat, air conditioning, water, electricity, gas, or sewage leaks. Health District does not respond to non-essential service complaints such as pest infestations, water leaks, mold growth, odors, or general maintenance issues.

Send a dated letter to your landlord notifying him or her of the unit problems and request the issues be fixed according to NRS 118A. Download a sample letter template for essential service complaints here. Keep a copy for yourself and send it certified mail with a return receipt from the US Postal Service if you want proof that the landlord received it.

The essential service should be fixed or satisfactory progress toward fixing it should be made within 48 hours of the landlord receiving the letter (not including Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday).

If the essential service has not been fixed within 48 business hours, contact the Health District at (702) 759-0697.

A complaint will be generated after a copy of the letter to the landlord is received by Health District. An inspector will contact the tenant within 3 business days to schedule an inspection.

A health inspector will document the unit conditions and then notify the landlord of the complaint. Copies of the documented conditions will be provided to both the tenant and landlord.

If the issue is not resolved, the Health District documentation can be used as evidence in a civil case under violation of NRS 118A.

Non-essential Service Complaints

Non-essential services include bug infestations, mold, odors, and general maintenance issues. Health District does not respond to non-essential service complaints.

Steps for a non-essential service complaint:

Send a dated letter to your landlord notifying him or her of the problems and request the issues be fixed according to NRS 118A. Download a sample letter template for non-essential service complaints here. Keep a copy for yourself and send it certified mail with a return receipt from the US Postal Service if you want proof that the landlord received it.

The non-essential problem should be fixed or satisfactory progress toward fixing it should be made within 14 business days of the landlord receiving the letter.

If the issue is not resolved after 14 business days, the tenant can start civil legal proceedings.

Your complaint may be a legal matter that qualifies for civil court action. Nevada Legal Services is one resource you may find helpful to start the civil process. Nevada Legal Services can be reached at (702) 386-0404 or online at http://nlslaw.net/